| cool1 |
01-12-2006 07:17 AM |
Judge draws the line for 'baby on board'
PHOENIX -- Fetuses do not count as passengers when it comes to determining who can drive in the carpool lane, a judge has ruled.
Candace Dickinson was fined $367 for improper use of a carpool lane, but contended the fetus inside her womb allowed her to use the lane. Motorists who use the lanes normally must carry at least one passenger during weekday rush hours.
Municipal Judge Dennis Freeman rejected Dickinson's argument Tuesday, applying a "common sense" definition in which an individual is someone who occupies a "separate and distinct" space in a vehicle.
"The law is meant to fill empty space in a vehicle," the judge said.
Sgt. Dave Norton stopped Dickinson's car Nov. 8. When asked how many people were in the car, Dickinson said two, pointing to "her obvious pregnancy," the officer said.
Norton said Dickinson's theory "would require officers to carry guns, radios and pregnancy testers, and I don't think we want to go there."
Just as well it was his face
MEXICO CITY -- Vandals who broke into and wrecked a northern Mexican primary school over the Christmas holidays were thoughtful enough to leave the photocopied mug shot of one of their gang at the scene of the crime.
Mexican television showed a black-and-white print on Tuesday of the squashed, chubby face and hands of a young boy. The photocopy was made at the school in the northern city of Monterrey and left among smashed chairs and torn books.
Latex law bid peeves priests
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Roman Catholic priests in a Colombian town are furious over a councilman's proposal that people 14 and older must carry a condom at all times to reduce unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
William Pena, a councilman in Tulua, said yesterday he will present a formal proposal requiring all men and women -- even those just on a visit to the town -- to carry at least one condom. Those caught empty-pocketed could be fined $200 Cdn or ordered to take a safe sex course, he said.
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